Another life
by Bellofarfalla
Summary: As Stefan looks back in the past, it seems like it was another life when Damon used to care!


**A/N: Hey everyone! Hope you all are having a nice weekend! This is a little fic I wrote to take a break from studying. I will start doing the prompts in the summer.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own The Vampire Diaries.**

Stefan's POV:

Damon is my brother. I can see past his tough exterior anytime. When we both were human, Damon was a source of embarrassment for my father because he was not an obedient little golden boy like me; instead he was a rebel, an impulsive womanizer. Due to these contrasting behaviors, it was no surprise that I was the apple of my father's eye but that bitter reality never affected my relationship with him. We were best friends, he was my protector; the whole town used to consider me valiant but in my eyes Damon was the most gallant person I had ever met because he was never afraid of standing up for what he thought was right.

After our mother's death, Giuseppe became an alcoholic. I can still remember those nights when in his drunken stupor, he used to hit the servants and barge in our rooms fully intended to beat one of us shitless but Damon always became a barrier between me and him. Those were the times when Damon was growing up, he needed his father more than ever but my brother was badly neglected and instead he turned to women and booze. Giuseppe had no one but himself to blame.

I became a perfect gentleman because I was raised by Damon. I'll be the first to admit that if it weren't for my brother, I too would have lost myself in wilderness of drugs and alcohol but then Katherine entered our lives and we both were driven apart due to our love and lust for that manipulative vampire. I made him complete his transition because I was selfish and the thought of spending the rest of the eternity without the comforting presence of my brother was unbearable but Damon had become blind, love for Katherine had pushed a blindfold over his eyes. Not to mention that I had betrayed him. I was the only person he had ever trusted and my deception had cut deep making his blood cold and turning him into the worst version of himself.

He did not say anything but I knew it better than anyone that Damon had a fragile soul; his eyes reflected that vulnerability and I had broken him, torn him apart. He promised me misery and never backed down from his word. I suffered, time and time again at those hands which once had held me tight and offered me comfort when I woke up screaming and sweating after a nightmare. I deserved it and understood where Damon was coming from. I wanted him to let go of all the anguish and move on, be my brother again.

His stoic facade did not fool me because I knew him; I had endured the torment of having a father like Giuseppe and the pain of losing Katherine with him. He was the one who held me in his arms and consoled me when I saw my mother lifeless form in that coffin, the image plagued me for a long time. Damon was close to her but he never once let his guard down and shed some tears for her because he was supposed to be a man and they did not cry but I knew that his heart was bleeding.

I can still remember that trip to France when I was 15 and Damon 21; my innocence was still intact. We met our maternal relatives, visited places and made memories that I forever would cherish. I can never forget that sweet scent of freedom I used to experience when I was alone with my brother, away from prying eyes who wanted to see that if the second Salvatore son was as big a screw up as the first or not. There are intense memories associated with Damon who never pressurized me; he wanted me to become whoever I wished to be.

He was never ashamed of his younger brother tagging along with him everywhere but he kept me safe from those who were labeled as 'Bad Company'. He had his dreams, he wanted to become a teacher because he always had been very insightful but he never got a chance to pursue this career. He wasted away the little time he had living under the weight of his father's last name. He wanted to get out of Mystic Falls to start a new life but his desire to stay with me and protect me was holding him back. In the end, the arrival of Katherine made him stay for the worst.

After we became vampires, even though I accepted our fate, sometimes I still could not believe that this vampire was my brother. The change was horrendous. My knight in the shining armor since the day I was born was no longer with me and it hurt unbearably. The tears glistening in my big brother's eyes haunted me and the wraiths of past became my constant companion.

**A/N 2: Let me know about what you think!**


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